Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HR186 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	H.R. No. 186
	1	+	87R9231 TBO-F
	2	+	By: Sherman, Sr., Button, Vo, Jetton, Allen H.R. No. 186
2	3
3	4
4	5		R E S O L U T I O N
5	6		WHEREAS, The longstanding bonds of friendship between the
6	7		United States and Taiwan, embodied in the Taiwan Relations Act of
7	8		1979, continue to yield important economic, strategic, and cultural
8	9		benefits; and
9	10		WHEREAS, Taiwan ranks as the United States' 10th largest
10	11		trading partner, and in 2019, bilateral trade in goods reached
11	12		$85.5 billion; the seventh-largest export market for
12	13		U.S. agricultural products, Taiwan's biennial agricultural trade
13	14		goodwill missions result in multibillion-dollar supply deals, and
14	15		its annually dispatched delegations to the SelectUSA Investment
15	16		Summit boost investment; Taiwan's recent action to lift
16	17		restrictions on U.S. beef and pork beginning in January 2021 will
17	18		help enhance bilateral trade; and
18	19		WHEREAS, The robust US-Taiwan trade and investment
19	20		partnership provides a solid foundation for a mutually beneficial
20	21		bilateral trade agreement (BTA) to spur job creation, further
21	22		expand the global market, and secure international supply chains;
22	23		Taiwan is well positioned to play an important role in augmenting
23	24		the revitalization of the global supply chain as part of the
24	25		post-pandemic economic recovery; and
25	26		WHEREAS, Taiwan is committed to helping address global
26	27		challenges, from humanitarian crises to nontraditional security
27	28		threats; moreover, this year it has emerged as an important partner
28	29		in pandemic prevention, providing 54 million surgical masks and
29	30		other PPE to more than 80 countries around the world, including
30	31		nearly 1 million surgical masks from the Taiwan government and
31	32		Taiwan affiliated private groups to the State and cities of Texas;
32	33		the Taiwan Model has achieved world renown for its effective
33	34		pandemic prevention and containment, bolstering unprecedented
34	35		international support for Taiwan's bid to participate in the World
35	36		Health Assembly (WHA); and
36	37		WHEREAS, Taiwanese officials and civil society groups
37	38		partner with the United States on a range of issues to promote our
38	39		common values of freedom, democracy, and human rights; in March,
39	40		Taiwan joined with the United States to establish the Partnership
40	41		against Coronavirus, building on the cooperative tradition of prior
41	42		joint partnerships such as the Global Cooperation and Training
42	43		Framework (GCTF), which advances Taiwanese leadership in such
43	44		arenas as democratization, human rights, women's empowerment, and
44	45		public health; and
45	46		WHEREAS, Since 1988, Texas and Taiwan have maintained a
46	47		sister-state relationship, and they enjoy particularly close
47	48		economic ties; Taiwanese firms have invested billions of dollars in
48	49		a wide range of Texas businesses; Taiwan is Texas' 10th largest
49	50		foreign market, and in 2019, it imported nearly $8.47 billion in
50	51		commodities from Texas, including computers and electronics,
51	52		industrial machinery equipment, chemicals, and foodstuffs; in
52	53		turn, Texas imported over $3.66 billion in Taiwanese goods,
53	54		primarily computers, electronics, metal products, transportation
54	55		equipment, and industrial machinery; and
55	56		WHEREAS, The establishment of a Texas Trade and Investment
56	57		Office in Taiwan could enhance the participation of small- and
57	58		medium-sized enterprises in trade and investment, and advance the
58	59		sister-state tie between Texas and Taiwan; and
59	60		WHEREAS, Texas and the United States have benefited
60	61		immeasurably through decades of unwavering friendship with Taiwan,
61	62		and the wider world is sure to reap tremendous rewards as Taiwan
62	63		works to enhance its presence in the international community; now,
63	64		therefore, be it
64	65		RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
65	66		Legislature hereby express its support for the strengthening of our
66	67		partnership with Taiwan and for the expansion of Taiwan's role on
67	68		the global stage; and, be it further
68	69		RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives hereby:
69	70		(a) express support for a bilateral trade agreement between
70	71		the United States and Taiwan;
71	72		(b) express support for Taiwan's meaningful participation
72	73		in the International Criminal Police Organization, the
73	74		International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations
74	75		Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the World Health
75	76		Assembly;
76	77		(c) express support for a Texas Trade and Investment Office
77	78		in Taiwan; and
78	79		(d) celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the enactment of the
79	80		Taiwan Relations Act and the 33rd anniversary of the sister-state
80	81		relationship between the State of Texas and Taiwan; and, be it
81	82		further
82	83		RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
83	84		prepared for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston as
84	85		an expression of the sentiment of the Texas House of
85	86		Representatives.
86		-	Sherman, Sr.
87		-	Button
88		-	Vo
89		-	Jetton
90		-	Allen
91		-	______________________________
92		-	Speaker of the House
93		-	I certify that H.R. No. 186 was adopted by the House on May
94		-	14, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 127, Nays 0, 1 present, not
95		-	voting.
96		-	______________________________
97		-	Chief Clerk of the House